Ryan McCartan – The Rocky Horror Picture Show

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I have been doing a lot of promotional stuff both for The Rocky Horror Picture Show and an independent comedy I worked on that came out in September called The Standoff. I don’t have any projects in the pipeline so I am doing the amazing thing that actors do where they run around and audition for everything under the sun. It’s actually really fun! I’m writing a lot of music and hoping to get some out by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Q) Were you a fan of the film before taking on this iconic role?

A) Oh yeah! I was originally introduced to the play. I went in my hometown of Twin Cities in Minnesota to the Ordway Theater with my parents because my sister was in it. I was thirteen year old at the time so as you can imagine was a paradigm to be sitting next to your parents while your sister did The Rocky Horror Picture Show, one of the sluttiest things in the world. Once we got over the initial awkwardness, I was just so entranced by this weird amazing masterpiece. I specifically fell in love with the role of Brad. I just loved his neediness and confidence that masked his complete lack of confidence…just sort of the whole contradiction that he is and the sort of liberation that he ultimately represents. It was a role that I knew I would play some day and knew I was perfect for, but never ever thought I would play in this capacity.

Q) How similar will this new version be to original version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

A) The script is identical, literally the exact same script from forty-one years ago. So, in the text the man is the same. The character and the circumstances are the same as they were in the movie. That’s a big anchor. It’s pretty hard to stray from what the text offers the character. So, what you are sort of left with in your own interpretation is both substantial, but also slight at the same time. The only reason I say that is because who Brad is and what he represents is completely intact in my presentation of the character. And I love what Barry Bostwick did and I studied his performance almost manically. But the biggest difference I would say is that in the original movie it seemed like Barry Bostwick’s Brad and Susan Sarandon’s Janet were filling that B-horror architype of victims of this crazy situation and that they wanted to get out and get out fast. We kind of played with the idea that maybe Brad was being pulled over to the dark side and maybe he liked it a little bit. Maybe this Transylvanian cult was something he wanted to explore and that maybe he didn’t want to get out of, but maybe once out of the castle he was sort of sad to have lost this incredible new life that he had taken on for the night. I think that is the biggest difference. Again, it’s very a subtle thing because Brad still has to be Brad and we still have to maintain the initial fear of what the heck is going on and the initial dichotomy of who he is versus who he is going to be.

Q) What was it like working with your costar Victoria Justice?

A) I love Victoria. She’s a perfect example of what someone with a lot of success for basically their entire life should look like and act like and who one of those people should be. She is down to earth. She is centered. She’s adorable. She’s sweet, caring and thoughtful. She’s just a person. I find it so admirable that someone who is so intensely successful can retain such a beautiful amount of normalcy in their lives. I admire her so much for being able to do that. She’s a great friend of mine. I feel very fortunate to be able to have worked alongside of her.

Q) What was the most challenging aspect of filming for you?

A) I have said this a lot and a lot of people think it is a joke every time I say it and it’s not! The hardest thing by far was learning how to do Kenny Ortega level dancing in three inch heels. I put those heels on for the first time and I was like a baby calf standing up. It was the hardest thing ever! I can’t even believe that people pull off looking so sexy in heels all the time because it took like two months of five hours every day parading to feel comfortable in those things. Yeah, his dancing was intense. So, the learning curve of just being able to keep up with what Kenny Ortega is asking you to do, you put that with being in heels at the same time that was actually immensely challenging. It’s Rocky Horror! It needs to be sexy and we need to look like we’ve been hypnotized to be these idyllic dancers in Frank-N-Furter’s masterpiece. That was really hard for me! I’m also one of those people who if they don’t get something right away I can’t stand it. When I couldn’t get it at first or my hips weren’t swiveling enough or it didn’t look comfortable enough it was very frustrating. One thing that I will say is that I think a lot of people would maybe imagine that it would be difficult to fill the shoes (no pun intended) of what came before us or try to beat the original or even be as good as the original. That was never an issue on set. I think that’s because we had Tim Curry with us. I think that’s because we had Lou Adler with us. I think it is because we had sort of the blessing of these two incredible godfathers who had worked on the originals in such a big way. Also, I think it came from just our communal veneration of the original movie and what it is. First and foremost, all of us were just such big fans of what The Rocky Horror Picture Show I’ve said this a few times and I think it is a good analogy for it, but we’re not trying to rewrite the book. We’re just trying to add a new chapter. When I think we all thought about it that way, that really intense pressure that could of existed for us completely vanished. That is completely, like I said, to the praise of Lou Adler (the Executive Producer) and Tim Curry (who obviously carried the original film) to be there in the space with us and tell us that it was okay to be doing what we were doing.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming?

A) I’ve told this story a few times, but I can’t believe my friend did this…The first day of rehearsal in Toronto when all the dancers and cast were together (with the exception of Adam Lambert and maybe Ben Vereen) and Kenny made a very short modest speech about who he was and who we were all working with and what The Rocky Horror Picture Show represents and what we were trying to do. Then, he immediately threw us into an exercise because he said we needed to be comfortable with each other in order to create this masterpiece about sex and sexual liberation. He said that could potentially be uncomfortable so he was going to get rid of that discomfort right away. He basically led us through an exercise where we all got very close in like a little orgasmic clump in the middle of the room. He led us through this exercise. He would say, “The first person to your right, lock eyes with them. Hold their hand. Touch their face. Bring them to the floor. Embrace them.” Like the craziest stuff on day one, hour one! I was literally looking around like, “Am I on reality TV right now? What the hell is going on?” It was madness! But it worked. We weren’t all of a sudden in love with each other, but the potential awkwardness of what we were doing vanished. There was really no going back now! It was just a crazy way to get started. Another crazy thing that happened was we shot on April Fool’s Day. It is what I have called my favorite holiday. No one really cared it was April Fool’s Day except for me, which either highlights my genius or my immaturity as a child. I pranked our director really good. I convinced Staz [Nair] who played Rocky to throw a fit on set and be like, “I can’t do this anymore! I’m leaving! This is way too hard!” Kenny took it seriously and said, “Oh I’m sorry! We’re wrapped! Take all the time that you need. I don’t want to stress you out.” He was so sweet about it and so scared. It was hilarious! Then, I ended up helping Kenny get Staz back, which was all part of my master plan. I told Staz after a really hard day of shooting everything that he did wasn’t able to be used because of a copyright issue so he had to come in on a Saturday and reshoot the entire day. He literally fell to the ground and put his head in his hands. He was so upset! I told the makeup artist that the makeup they put on me I was extremely allergic to. I had a really good day! I’m just saying I had a really good April Fool’s Day. And no one pranked me back! No one pranked me back! I don’t know how I got that lucky and I’m sort of afraid of the karmic reserve that is coming my way next year. It was a great day! I had a lot of fun!

Q) Since you are a part of social media are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you are going to receive?

A) Yeah, it’s a crazy world we live in. It’s insane that that happens now. You can instantly get people’s opinions and feedbacks and you can respond to them and you can start a conversation. Yeah, I’m really excited about that. I understand and am completely prepared for people to have a negative reaction because some people are sort of allergic to remarking things. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I completely understand it. That is something that I have prepared for and not that afraid of because I love a conversation. I love a dialogue. I love a debate. What I am most excited about (to your point of people reaching out) is younger people reaching out. When I booked the role and announced that I got it to my fanbase who predominantly knows me from the Disney Channel a lot of them were like “Good for you! What are you talking about? Who is Brad Major? What is The Rocky Horror Picture Show?” Millennials and young people are very reluctant to tune in or watch something that was made in the 1970’s. They get bored with the lack of special effects, lack of technological finesse and the lack of professional 2016 audio. They want something new and shiny and technological up to speed with what they are used to. I think this remake is going to bring a lot of new young people that maybe never would have seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the first place sort of into the family. So, I’m really excited to start a dialogue with people.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure fans know about the film?

A) It’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s a party! I think people are going to enjoy it. Lou Adler said a beautiful thing like the reason we are doing it on TV and the reason that we are sort of invading living rooms in October is because he feels there are a lot of Brad’s and Janet’s in the world who maybe would never make the adventure to the movie theater at midnight to see this crazy thing, but who need to hear the message. I really believe that and I stand behind that. I feel like I was a Brad or a Janet when I was a little bit younger. I think all of us have had, whether they are sexual, emotional, intellectual or associative experiences all of us have had one or two that sort of shook us. All of us have had our own way some dark and stormy nights in a strange castle that make us ask questions about who we are. I really like that The Rocky Horror Picture Show teaches us that those nights are okay and that they are formative and can be exciting and enticing. It’s okay to ask questions and look for answers about things that may be scary. I’m just really excited, to echo Lou’s sentiment, to reach out to the Brad’s and Janet’s and to maybe change the way of thinking and to maybe bring them a little closer to the edge, push their comfort zone and maybe think about what is possible in their lives. I think that’s a really cool thing that The Rocky Horror Picture Show